Elevator for casings or pipings



'APPLICATION FILED APR. 17| 1919.

Patented Feb. l5, WZL

UNE.

errar Nracer,

VICTOR W. ZILEN, 0F GHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR TO LUCEY MANUEAC-TUBING CORPQRATION' OF TENNESSEE, A CORPORATION 0F TENNESSEE,

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 115, 1921 Application led April 17. 1919. Serial No.290,795.

To aZZwho/m t may concern."

Be it known that l, VICTOR W. ZILEN, a subject of Russia residing atChattanooga, in the county of Iiamilton and State of Tennessee, haveinvented certain` new and useful Improvements in Elevators for Casngs orPipings; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to niake and use the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to casing or pipe elevators designed moreparticularly for raising and lowering, and connecting up, casing andtubing employed in well drilling apparatus, particularly for drillingoil, Artesian, or gas wells. It has for its object the production of lanelevator of the type indicated which can be conveniently handled in thederrick and applied to the piping or tubing .by a single operator, andwhich can be closed or opened on the casing or piping in an easy andexpeditious manner by a push or pull of the operator singlehanded, andwhich provides an efiicient locking of the elevator on the casing orpiping secure against accidental unlocking or displacement. -The devicecomprises in its principal features a two part clamp consisting of amain body portion and an auxiliary movable ate or closure portion,hinged one to the ot er, and together adapted to encircle and clamp thecasing or piping, and a hinged member carried by the movable gate orclosure and serving as a handle for moving the closure member and alsoas a locking latch for locking the closure member and the main bodyportion one to the other. t further consists in various features ofconstruction, all of which will be hereinafter described and then soughtto he particularly defined by theiclaims, reference being had to theaccompanying drawin forming a part hereof, and in which,

' igure 1 is a pla-n view of the elevator, illustrating the parts intheir closed position;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Figs. 3, 4 and 5, are side, front and top views, respectively, of thegates by which i the bails are secured in place.

In the drawing the numeral 1 designates the main body portion Aof thecasing elevator and comprising a central semi-cylindrical portion 2 andend extensions 3 which are formed with openings i for the lifting hails5, preferably V-shaped or elongated in form. These hails are insertedthrough openings in the end extensions which are closed by gates 6 whichfit therein and are held in place by bolts 7 These gates may be of anyapproved form in outline but preferably of the arcuate form illustrated,that is, have convex upper and lower faces a, flattened sides b, andconcave faces c, so that when inserted in place theywill be free fromany twisting or turning action on the securing bolts 7 and will present/a curved surface next to the lifting bails 5 conforming in outline tothe other portions of the openings 1 in which the lifting hails fit.

To the main body portion 1 there is hinged by a pin or bolt 8 a swinginggate or closure member 9, semi-cylindrical in form, and lwhich togetherl, with the main body 'portion constitute a clamp which will encirclethe casing and clamp the same so that it may be raised or lowered withthe elevator or clamp. The main body portion l of the elevator is formedwith a cat-head consisting of the lugs 10 between which is preferablyformed a stud 11, and the swinglng gate or member 9 is provided with acombined locking latch and handle' 12. preferably of bell-crank form,pivoted by a pintle or pin 13 to ears 14 formed integrally with thegate. The latch-member of the combined latch and handle is preferablyformed with a T head 15 which will interlock with the catch or lugs 10of the cat-head7 when the gate is closed, and the handle member 16 isformed with a grip connecting neck or rod 17 ,to form a rip handle to begrasped by the hand in c osing and opening the movable gate or closure.The inner or free end of the movable gate or closure is cut away orrecessed as indicated at (Z, e, so as to receive the latch and its Thead when thrown to its unlocking position. The movable gate or closureis formed with a stop 18 against which the latch abuts when the latch isthrown to its unlocking position and which limits the inward movement ofthe latch and the handle portion of the iatch is formed with a stop 19which strikes against the face of the movable gate or closure and thuslimits the throw of the latch into its locking position. A spring 20,preferably a coil spring encircling the pintle of the combined latch andhandle, tends to hold the combined latch and handle in its lockingposition. A stud 21 on the movable gate or closure next to the knuckleof its pivoting pin 8 will strike against the main body and thus limitthe opening movement of the gate.

By providing the combined latch and handle and mounting it on themovable gate or closure member of the elevator, an operator,single-handed, standing upon the platform of the derrick from which theelevator is suspended, will position the main body portion of theelevator with relation to the casing or piping to be clamped, and thenwith one hand grasping the handle of the combined latch and handle willthronT the latch to its unlocking position against the tension of itsspring and at the same time swing the movable gate or closure to itsclosed position, whereupon the spring will throw the latch intointerlocking engagement With the cat-head7 or catch of the main.' bodyportion. The combined latch and handle will now stand at the angleindicated in F ig. l and the line of pull now being tangent to thedirection of movement or motion of the movable closure the lock isstrong. and effective. To open the, gate or closure member a pull by theoperator o'n the combined latch andv handle \vill\over come the tensionof the spring and throw the latch into its disengagingv position and atthe Same time swing the gate or closure on its pivoting pintle into openposition. This affords a simple and easy manipulation of the movablegate or closure in both closing and opening operations by a singleattendant or operator, and at the same time a very secure and efiicientlocking of the gate in its closed position without liability toaccidental disengagement or opening.

l have illustrated and described with particnlarity the preferreddetails of the various parts and While such details are preferredbecause of advantages they possess yet they may be changed Withoutdepart-ing from the main features of the invention as eXpIressed in someof the claims.

aving described my invention and set forth its merits what l claim is:

1.l An elevator for casing or piping comprising a main body having anopening for the casing or piping and formed With a latch-catch, amovable gate or closure inember formed to receive a part of the casingor piping and connected to the main body, and an oscillatory combinedlatch and handle pivoted to the closure member and having the handlelying to one side of the pivot and the latch to the other side andpositioned for the latch to engage the catch of the main body when inclosed position and the handle serving for releasing the latch and maniulation of the closureymember in moving tie same to closed and openpositions.

2. Anm elevator for casing or piping comprising a main body having anopening for the casing or piping and attachment means at opposite sidesof the opening for suspension ofthe elevator and formed with alatchcatch, a movable gate or closure member formed to receive a part ofthe casing or piping and connected to the main body,- a combined latchand handle carried by the movable closure member and positioned for thelatch to engage the catch of the main body when in closed position, andthe handle serving for manipulation of the closure member in moving thesalue to closed and open positions, and a spring for holding the latchand handle under spring tension.

3. An elevator for casing or piping cmprising a main body having anopening for the casing or piping and formed with a latch-catch, and amovable gate or closure member formed to receive a part of the casing orpiping and connected to the main body, a combined latch and handlecarried by the movable closure member and positioned for the latch toengage the catch of the main body ivhen in closed position, the movableclosure being recessed to receive the head of the latch when retractedfor opening the closure member.

4. An elevator for casing or piping comprising a main body having anopening for the casing or piping and formed With a latch-catch, amovable gate or closure member formed to receive a part of the casingonpiping and connected to the main body, a .combined latch and handlecarried by the movable closure member and positioned for the latch toengage the catch of the main body when in closed position, and stopsbetween the movable closure members and the combined latch and handle tolimit the throw of the latch and handle.

5. An elevator for casing or piping comprising a main body having anopening for the casing or piping and formed With a latch-catch, amovable gate or closure member formed to receive a part of the casing orpiping and connected to the main body, and an oscillatory combined latchand handle positioned to have the latch bear against the closure memberon manipulation of the handle in moving the closure member to closed andopen position and to engage the catch of the mam body when the closuremember is in closed position.

In testimony whereof l afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

VICTOR W. ZILEN.

Witnesses:

H. S. CRANFORD, P. R. MILLSAPS.

